Now What?
by Emma Brown
Summary: Major spoilers inside! Set after A Year in the Life. Luke and Lorelai start their life as husband and wife while Rory struggles to find out what she wants in life and how she is going to tackle her future. Rated T.
1. Chapter I

**Contains major spoilers from A Year in the Life.** I know this is going to be done to death within the next few days, but I really would love to post my take on what happens next. Lorelai and Luke are married. Rory is pregnant and working on her book. The next chapters in the Gilmore-Danes-Huntzberger-Mariano lives.

Rated T.

* * *

 **What Now?**

Chapter One

"Mom? Say something?"

Lorelai looked at her daughter, her mouth still hanging open. She closed her eyes and placed her champagne flute down on the step of the gazebo. "Um, what?" she asked, her voice not disguising the shock she felt.

Rory looked panicked, her eyebrows were knitted together and her cheeks were flushed. "I'm pregnant," she repeated.

"Pregnant," Lorelai said the word as though it was brand new and not apart of her vocabulary. "Pregnant," she said again.

Rory wrung her hands together, the sleeves of her red sweater falling past her wrists. "I wasn't feeling well-I had a cold, which by itself is nothing. People get cold's all the time…"

"Colds," Lorelai said absently, taking her champagne flute back in her hands and taking a long gulp. "Go on,"

"…but this cold wasn't going away and then I realized I was late."

Lorelai let out a deep breath. "Late,"

"And after having about a dozen panic attacks and slipping into a pretty serious rocky-road coma, I decided to go to the doctor and well, she confirmed it."

"Confirmed…"

"That I'm pregnant," Rory was looking Lorelai now with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? Are you having a stroke?"

"Hmm, maybe," Lorelai said, before shaking her head and focusing her eyes on her daughter. "No, um, I'm fine…it's just, I wasn't expecting this."

"Neither was I."

They were silent for a moment before Lorelai placed her champagne down again. "Did you, uh…tell…the father?"

Rory looked down at her shoes and shook her head slightly. "No," she muttered, a little nervously.

"Right," Lorelai said, looking back out at the empty streets of Stars Hollow. "And, are you planning on…"

"Yes…no…" Rory looked at Lorelai and sighed. "I don't know,"

"Rory…"

"It's complicated and…I really need to think about it." She looked at Lorelai and saw the concern in her mother's eyes. She let out a breath and shook her head. "I shouldn't have told you."

"Rory, of course you should've told me!"

"Yes, but not now…not today…you didn't need this distraction on your wedding day,"

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something but the sound of Luke calling her name across the square pulled her attention. He was standing on the corner, his face still stretched in a giant smile, waiting for her to go back home and get ready for their second wedding.

"We should get back…get dressed," Rory said softly before standing up and walking down the steps of the gazebo. Lorelai remained sitting for a moment and watched her daughter walk towards her new husband. Taking a sharp intake of breath, Lorelai finally stood up and moved to join her family—trying desperately to get her head to stop spinning.

* * *

They had arrived back at the Gilmore-Danes house less than five minutes later. Piling out of Luke's truck, the threesome silently walked back into the house.

"I'm going to try and get a bit more sleep before the ceremony." Rory said, not making eye-contact with her mother or Luke. Lorelai nodded her head absently, watching her daughter walk towards her childhood bedroom and close the door behind her.

"Hey," Luke said, gently placing a hand on Lorelai's back. "You all right?"

"Of course I'm all right," Lorelai said, turning to face Luke, a small smile on her face. "We just got married. I'm fantastic,"

Luke arched an eyebrow and nodded his head before lightly pushing her towards the staircase.

"Luke, what are you…"

"Come on," he said, climbing the stairs behind her.

"Luke…"

"Don't wake Kirk, he'll be cranky all day."

Lorelai sighed and allowed her husband to usher her up the stairs towards their bedroom. Once they were inside, Luke shut the door behind them and waited.

Lorelai chewed on her lower lip, feeling the tears in her eyes start to build. Sitting down on the bed, she placed her head in her hands and let out a soft cry.

"She's pregnant," Lorelai said.

"Who's pregnant?" Luke asked, walking closer towards her.

"Rory," Lorelai said, looking up. Her tears were now falling freely. "She's pregnant."

Luke looked stunned. "What…how…"

"How? Do I really need to explain that to you?"

"When…with who? That Patrick guy?"

"Paul, and no…I don't think it's him." Lorelai wiped her tears away and placed a hand to her forehead. "She was supposed to have more than me. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go,"

Luke let out a breath and sat down next to her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "It's going to be fine,"

"Fine," laughed Lorelai. "Yeah, maybe,"

"What did you say when she told you?"

Lorelai glanced up at Luke, her blue eyes still shining with tears. "Not much, to be honest."

"What's not much?"

"Not enough," Lorelai sighed and shook her head. "I was in shock…still am. I didn't know how to react or what to say."

"Yeah, this is definitely unexpected news…"

"She's been…she's been secretly seeing Logan while she's in London."

"Logan? I thought that was ancient history?"

"So did I but apparently Rory likes antiquing. He's engaged."

"Ah," Luke said, tensing up a bit.

"She's been having such a rough time this past year. We all have but Rory…She's realizing that the bright future of a Yale graduate isn't so bright after all. It's still a dark and scary world and she's finding herself and struggling. Everything is so different now then from when we were young, you know? It's not enough to be an ivy-league graduate anymore. Rory wasn't prepared for that. I wasn't prepared for that." Lorelai paused and wiped away another tear that fell down her cheek. "I never taught her how to socialize properly or handle her feelings properly. I never taught her how to prepare for the unexpected."

"She's thirty-two years old, Lorelai. You can't take the blame for everything that goes on in her life anymore."

"Still, I should've really listened when she told me she was seeing Logan in London. I wanted to say so many things but I was nervous. Nervous that if I put my two-cents in I would push her away. She was always so sensitive when it came to him. I held my tongue but I should've told her how I felt."

"Which is?"

"He's engaged." Lorelai said, looking up at Luke. "I should've told her to end it. That it's not right being the other woman. Again," Lorelai added before letting out a bitter laugh. "Oh man, I really did a stand up job, didn't I?"

"Stop this," Luke said, tightening his arm around her shoulders."People do things, Lorelai. People make mistakes. That doesn't define who they are. Rory has been and will always be an amazing kid. All her success? All her experience? All her passion? She gets that from you."

"All her emotional baggage, all her relationship problems…"

"Lorelai…"

"I know," Lorelai sighed and slowly stood up from the bed. "We should start getting ready."

Luke let out a breath and nodded. "Yeah," He turned to leave but Lorelai reached forward and pulled him back towards her.

"Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you," She kissed him softly, allowing her lips to linger on his for a few moments before breaking away. "Now, skedaddle. Meet you at the ceremony. I'll be the one wearing white."

Luke smiled and kissed her again before grabbing his suit off the door and leaving.

* * *

tbc...


	2. Chapter II

A/N: I don't usually update so quickly, but here you go! Now, I want to make it clear that as of now, I really don't know who Rory is going to end up with in this story. I like things to flow naturally, so what I think now may change within a few chapters. I want to see where this goes, really.

* * *

Chapter 2

It was a simple dress. Ivory, with straps that tied around her neck. There was no lace. There was no beading. There was no poof. It took Lorelai all of two days to complete but it was everything she ever wanted in a wedding dress. This day wasn't about the party. It wasn't about the dress or the shoes or what jewelry she would wear. This day was a long time coming and while they were technically already married, the only thing that mattered was her and Luke and being surrounded by their friends and family.

The door to Miss Patty's rolled open, breaking Lorelai out of her revery. "Mom?" came a small voice by the door.

Lorelai straightened her shoulders and turned around. "Come in," she said. The door opened more and Rory's face peaked inside. She looked nervous, unsure, and it broke Lorelai's heart. "Come here, kid."

Rory walked inside and closed the door behind her. "Wow mom, you look beautiful."

"So do you," Lorelai said, smiling wide. Rory was wearing her maid-of-honor dress. It was a beautiful deep red color that flowed to the floor. She looked like a movie-star. Lorelai allowed her eyes to travel to her daughter's stomach and she felt her heartbeat quicken. "Rory,"

"Mom, we don't have to talk about this now."

"Yeah, we do." Lorelai said, walking towards her daughter. "God, the look on your face when you walked in here just now…" She shook her head, remembering the night she had told her parents about her pregnancy. "I never want you to feel that nervous about speaking to me about anything, ever."

Rory nodded and sat down on a folding chair next to Lorelai's station. Lorelai sat down next to her and sighed when Rory rested her head on her shoulder. "I really screwed up." Rory said.

"You did not screw up." Lorelai said, smoothing down Rory's hair.

"What else would you call this?"

"I'd call it a detour. Detours and screw-ups are very different, trust me."

"A detour?" asked Rory.

"Yeah," Lorelai said, feeling tears in her eyes agian. "Hey, I took a very similar detour at a much younger age and things turned out pretty great, I'd say."

"Yeah," Rory nodded, wiping away a few of her own tears. "I can't believe this happened. We were always so safe and careful."

"We, meaning you and…"

Rory glanced up at her mom. "Logan," she muttered.

Lorelai sighed. "So he is the…"

"Yes," Rory stood up from her seat and shook her head. "And I know what you're going to say. That I was stupid for ever contacting him, no matter how desperate I was for a bed to sleep in. That I shouldn't have ever started up anything with him again. That I got myself into another situation where I am the other woman, the adulterous, the mistress…the side-chick who got herself knocked up! And you'd be right!"

"Hey…"

"How could I do this?" Rory asked, running her hands through her hair. "I have no self-control. The wookie proved that,"

"You have plenty self-control." Lorelai said, standing up and placing her hands on Rory's shoulders. "You are not some sex-starved maniac and I won't have you talking about yourself like that."

"What I did was wrong, mom." Rory said, stepping back and wrapping her arms around her stomach. "It was wrong and now…"

Before Rory could finish her sentence, the door rolled open again and Emily walked in. She was dressed in a beautiful plum colored suit and she wore a small smile on her lips. Once she noticed the atmosphere in the room, however, her smile faded.

"Did I just interrupt something?" she asked.

"No, grandma," Rory said, quickly giving her mom a look that begged Lorelai to not say a word. "You look nice," she said, enveloping Emily in a hug.

"Oh thank you." Emily replied, returning Rory's hug. "My, don't you look beautiful? That color really is lovely,"

"Oh, yeah, well, mom picked it out."

"Just the color," Lorelai said softly. Emily turned and faced her daughter fully. Lorelai could've sworn she saw tears immediately enter her mother's eyes.

"Lorelai," Emily said, taking a step forward. "You're radiant."

Feeling like a complete bundle of emotions, Lorelai blinked back her own fresh batch of tears. "Thanks, mom."

"I really never thought I'd see the day where you'd be wearing a wedding dress."

Lorelai chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Neither did I."

Emily smiled and took a step closer towards Lorelai. "Are you wearing a veil?"

"No, I remember someone mentioning once that my head was far to big for one."

"I'm glad you remembered," Emily said, but she looked somewhat upset.

"What is it, grandma?" Rory asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I just wish I remembered to bring my tiara. It would've looked so lovely on you."

Lorelai smiled. "It's all right, mom."

"I can't believe I didn't think to ask about a veil."

"Mom, I promise, it's fine."

Emily sighed and shrugged. "Okay, if you insist. You may be too old for a tiara, anyway."

Lorelai smirked at Rory. "There it is,"

"I do, however, have something for you."

"You do?"

Emily reached into her purse and took out a small box. Opening it up, she pulled out a lovely diamond necklace that nearly caused Lorelai to gasp out loud. "Mom, that's…it's so beautiful."

"Wow grandma, that's gorgeous." Rory said, leaning forward to take a look at the shimmering diamonds.

"Richard gave it to me on our wedding day," Emily said, unclasping it. Her eyes were shiny, but no tears fell. "We always planned on giving this to you on your wedding day." Lorelai let out a breath and turned around, lifting her hair. Emily carefully placed the necklace around her neck and fastened it together.

Lorelai turned around and placed her hand on the necklace. "Thanks mom," she said, her voice breaking.

Emily nodded and began walking back towards the door. "Well, I'll leave you two to finish getting ready."

"No, mom." Lorelai said, linking her arm with Rory's. "Stay, hang out with us."

Emily looked a little surprised, but she smiled. "All right," she said, walking back into the room. "The square really looks lovely. It's very nicely decorated. Quite whimsical. Very you,"

"Very," Rory said, bumping her shoulder against Lorelai's.

"How'd Luke ever agree to it?"

"I can be very persuasive." Lorelai said with a smirk.

"That's how you finally got Luke to agree to marry you, right?" joked Rory.

Lorelai pouted. "Hush you,"

"The entire town seems to be decorated." Emily said. "Shop windows, houses…"

"Well, mom and Luke getting married is kind of like Stars Hollow having its own royal wedding." Rory said, grinning.

"I see," Emily said, a smile on her face as well.

"Lorelai!" called Sookie, walking in the back door.

Lorelai smiled at her best friend. "You look pretty!" she said.

Sookie smiled. "Look at you! Oh, all of you look so great!" She dabbed at a few tears in the corner of her eye and shook her head. "We gotta go unless you plan on showing up fashionably late to your own wedding!"

"At least we'd be fashionable." Lorelai quipped before glancing at her reflection once more in the small mirror she had propped on a few old dance records.

"I should take my seat." Emily said, moving to leave the dance studio again.

Lorelai looked at her mother and let out a breath. "Actually, mom, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Well," Lorelai paused and stood up straighter, feeling like she needed to heighten herself. "I've never been a very traditional person, as you know. I never really did things by the book and I liked that. But, when I thought about my wedding growing up I always pictured…dad, walking me down the aisle," Her chest was hurting. It was a feeling that crashed into her whenever she thought about her father. "And I never really imagined that this day would come and dad wouldn't be around for it."

"Neither did I," Emily said, her voice was soft, practically a whisper.

"And well, I was going to have Rory walk me down the aisle. But, um, I was thinking that maybe you…"

"You want me to give you away?" asked Emily, her eyes widening.

"I was hoping you would." Lorelai said.

Emily straightened her shoulders and nodded. "I can do that."

Lorelai smiled and reached out to take her mother's hand. "Thanks mom," Looking at her daughter and Sookie, who were both staring at the pair of them with watery eyes and soft smiles, Lorelai gave them a nod.

"Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Rory smiled as she watched her mother and Luke kiss as husband and wife for the second time. Her mom looked so happy, happier than Rory could ever remember seeing her. It made Rory feel giddy, despite the lingering pangs of guilt that was erupting in the pit of her stomach. As she watched her mom and new step-father walk down the steps of the gazebo and into the crowd of cheering guests, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, those two crazy kids finally did it."

Rory let out a laugh and turned around to look at Jess.

"Yeah, about time, don't you think?"

Jess nodded and looked around the square. "Who decorated this place? Lewis Carroll?"

"Kirk, actually, which is basically the same thing."

He chuckled and held out his arm. "So, shall we?"

Rory nodded and linked her arm with his, allowing Jess to walk her down the steps of the gazebo and into the crowd.

* * *

Hep Alien was set up in the gazebo after the ceremony, playing an eclectic mix of songs. The dance floor was packed with townspeople and a scattering of Gilmore and Danes family members. The plethora of cakes baked by Sookie were arranged perfectly around the square and were disappearing like a magic act.

"Who would've thought that it would take us this long to get married and that we'd end up doing it twice in the same day?" Lorelai asked, taking Luke's hand in hers as they sat at the long table adorned with various foods and beverages.

"We never were the traditional ones."

Lorelai smirked, remembering her conversation with her mother. "No, we weren't."

"Are you happy?" asked Luke.

Lorelai turned to face him and took his face in her hands. As she rubbed her thumb gently over his chin, she grinned at the stubble that was already growing back. "I can honestly say I've never been happier."

"Me too," he said, leaning forward and kissing her.

"We're married," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Luke said, kissing the top of her head. "Thank god."

* * *

Rory let out a breath as she stuffed another bite of cake into her mouth.

"Remember to breath," Jess laughed as he watched Rory wipe the frosting off the corner of her mouth.

"I can't. There are just so many to choose from and they are going fast. I want to sample every one!"

"There is plenty and besides I'm sure Sookie would make you your very own if you asked."

"Plenty my ass," Rory said, craning her neck to see the nearly empty platter the 'Luke' cake had been sitting on. "Crap, that's the last one!" She cried, leaping from her seat and power-walking towards the table.

Jess shook his head and followed her. "I swear, it's amazing you're not five-hundred pounds."

"Luke says that mom and I should be locked in a science lab to be studied." Rory said as she cut herself a piece.

"I'll help him make arrangements," Jess said, grabbing her a napkin which she gratefully accepted. "So, are you going to be staying in Stars Hollow?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "I'm-uh, not sure, actually." Jess nodded. "I was planning on moving to Queens."

"But you're not anymore?"

Unconsciously, Rory placed her hand to her stomach. "I'm still mulling," she answered.

"Mulling," Jess repeated.

"That's right," Rory said, taking another forkful of cake. "I want to finish my book and, I don't know…I kinda found a good rhythm here with those first few chapters."

"This is where it all happened," Jess said, looking around the town.

Rory nodded. "I don't want to forget anything. Not a minute. Not a single detail."

"Kinda hard to forget."

"Yeah, well…"

Suddenly, Rory felt a hand on her elbow. She turned around and smiled when she saw Luke standing behind her, a shy grin on his face.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked, his cheeks turning a slight tint of pink.

Rory smiled at him and quickly placed down her plate of food. "Of course," she answered, taking his hand. She looked over her shoulder at Jess and pointed at her discarded cake. "Guard that with your life,"

Jess smirked and nodded as he watched his uncle and Rory walk out onto the dance floor.

* * *

Rory couldn't help but smile as Luke twirled her around. She saw that Lorelai was dancing with April, who seemed to have loosened up a bit since the last time they had seen each other. Judging by the loopy grin on her face, Rory guessed that her step-sister had found Miss Patty's special apple cider. It was similar to her Founders Day punch, at least with its affect. "So, nice party," Rory said, looking up at Luke.

"Yeah, not too shabby," he replied, grinning.

"It still shocks me at how good of a dancer you are." Rory said, as Luke twirled her once more.

"I'm no Fred Astaire, but I can hold my own."

"I've been tap-dancing to get rid of my stress. I'm not very good. How are you with the taps?"

"The taps? Not so great," he said with a smirk. "Ballet on the other hand,"

Rory laughed and shook her head. "I'll remember that."

"So, how are you feeling?" Luke asked, swaying her slightly to the music.

Rory glanced up at him, feeling her heartbeat quicken. "Oh, I'm…I'm fine," He nodded softly in understanding but from the look of concern in his eyes, Rory knew that her mom had told him. "You know," she said, simply.

"Your mom…she told me this morning,"

Rory looked down at their feet, suddenly feeling nervous. She felt Luke give her hand a squeeze and she rose her eyes to meet his once more. "You know your mom and I are going to be here for you. No matter what. We've got your back."

Tears immediately entered her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. "Thanks Luke," she said, giving him a small nod. They continued to dance for a few seconds before Rory wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. "I mean it," she said, feeling some tears escape her eyes. "Thank you. For everything,"

Luke hugged her in return and kissed the top of her head. "Of course, kiddo." Rory continued hug Luke as they danced, not wanting to break away from his protective arms. She didn't have many memories of feeling protected and safe when she was with her own father, but having Luke around, especially after the passing of her grandfather, was exactly what Rory knew she needed.

* * *

A/N: These are definitely scenes I wish we saw in the revival, I'm not going to lie. Having Emily at the wedding, having more dialogue between Luke and Rory, April being at the wedding. Don't get me wrong, I thought that the wedding scene in Fall was absolutely perfect, I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm just always going to wish we had more.


	3. Chapter III

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading this story so far! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 3 

Rory awoke the next morning feeling like her stomach was being pulled up into her throat. "Oh god," she muttered, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and running towards the bathroom. Once she entered, she saw that the light was already on and that April was passed out next to the toilet. She was still in her dress from the wedding and her hair was covering half her face. "April," Rory muttered as she stepped over her body and leaned down over the toilet. Within moments, she was heaving and gripping the side of the bowl with white knuckles.

The sound of her coughing and groaning in annoyance seemed to rouse her sister. "Rory?" asked April, sitting up slowly. "Did you drink the cider too?"

"Something like that," Rory said, wiping her mouth with toilet paper. "Were you in here all night?"

"I think so," April answered, her hand pressed against her forehead. "I don't really remember much after dancing with your mom. It's all kind of a blur. Oh my god, did I do something completely stupid like ruin the wedding or crash into the cake or force people to recite limericks?"

Rory smirked and sat down next to April on the floor, pressing her back against the cool surface of the bathtub. "No, nothing like that."

April seemed relieved. "Good," she said. "I've never been drunk before,"

"Really? You're twenty-two."

"Yeah and I'm also a giant loser, in case you couldn't tell."

"Hey, you smoked pot once." Rory joked, taking April's hand in hers. "You're not a giant loser."

"Right now, I feel like a giant loser."

"Well, you've spent the night with your head in the toilet. I don't think anyone really feels good about themselves after a situation like that."

April smirked but soon a look of panic spread across her face yet again. "Oh god, did dad see me like this?"

"Him and mom are at the inn, so I think your secret is safe." Rory said. "You really don't remember getting back here?"

"I think I took an Ooober, although I was told to not call it that."

"Oh, sure," Rory nodded and hoisted herself up off the ground. Once she helped April stand up, she led the girl into her bedroom and placed her on her bed. "Here, get some more sleep. I promise you'll feel better once you wake up. I'll leave some water and aspirin next to the bed."

April smiled. "Thanks Rory."

"Go, sleep. Do you have anything to change into?"

"My bag is in the living room. I'll go get it."

Rory watched as April trudged into the other room and let out a sigh. She was still feeling a bit queazy and her head was hurting a bit. Walking towards the Wizard of Oz calendar her mom had hanging on the wall in the kitchen, Rory flipped through the months. She stopped in July. Her stomach flipped again.

Could she possibly do this? Could she really go through with having this baby? It's not that Rory had never pictured having a baby. But she figured she would save that particular milestone for a few more years down the line. When she was living in a nice place, working at a stable job, making a steady income and was…preferably married. She thought of Logan. She knew she had to tell him, but the very thought of that happening made her want to pass out. What would he say? What would he do? Would he leave Odette? Would he want to play an active part in this child's life?

Rory leaned against the counter and covered her face with her hands. So many future chapters were going to have to be rewritten. Her life was suddenly going off-script and Rory wasn't sure if she was prepared to improvise.

"Oh god, it's coming again!" April cried from the living room before running back into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

Rory sighed and opened the fridge, taking out a bottle of water and slice of cold, leftover pizza. "Oh April," Rory called as she walked back towards the bathroom, supplies at the ready.

* * *

Lorelai opened her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment. Luke's arm was draped around her and his head was nestled in her neck, his breath tickling her ear. She let out another sigh and snuggled closer to him. She smiled when he pulled her against his warm body.

"Hey," he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

"Hey yourself,"

"How'd you sleep?"

Lorelai snuggled in deeper and kissed Luke's chest. "Great, and yourself?"

"No complaints here," he said, tightening his arms around her.

"If I would've known marrying you would give me that kind of night, I would've insisted we do it years ago—I'm talking decades." Lorelai said, poking him in the chest.

"Punctuality was never your strong suit." Luke said, taking her hand in his and softly kissing the pads of her fingers. "So, what now?" he asked between each kiss.

"What, you're already bored of me?"

"No, I mean—we never really discussed if we were going to go on a honeymoon or anything. I wasn't sure if I should book anything because of the inn and how hectic it's been over there with Michel and Sookie and the expansion..."

Lorelai smirked and closed her eyes. "A honeymoon would be nice. We don't have to go anywhere fancy. Maybe just someplace for the weekend?"

"That sounds great," he said, kissing her again.

"Yesterday was perfect," Lorelai sighed, opening her eyes again. "The food, the music, the limericks…"

Luke chuckled. "Poor April,"

"I already told Rory not to mention it to her," Lorelai said, smirking. "She's young. She'll have plenty of other embarrassing moments she'll fully remember. I don't think she will have much of a clear memory this morning, though. No need to upset her."

Luke kissed her again. "You're really fantastic, you know that?"

"So I've been told." Lorelai grinned. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I saw you with Rory last night. You guys danced for like three songs. It usually takes a lot of persuasion to get you to dance for just one."

Luke blushed slightly. "Yeah, well…we weren't just dancing. We were talking,"

"Talking," Lorelai said, leaning up slightly.

"Yeah, I didn't know if you wanted me to tell her that you told me about this whole thing…the baby and everything but well, I was concerned and I guess she saw through me and we just talked about it."

"What did you guys talk about?" asked Lorelai, sitting up more.

"Just that we're going to be here for her and that we'll support her no matter what." Luke said, eyeing Lorelai curiously.

Lorelai nodded sadly and placed her hand on Luke's shoulder. "You really are too good for me,"

"Is it okay that I said that?" asked Luke.

"It's more than okay that you said that, it's amazing that you said that. I just wish I could've said something remotely comforting like that to her."

Luke sighed and sat up. "You still didn't talk?"

"We talked." Lorelai said, glancing at him. "She was getting so down on herself, really beating herself up over this and I told her that this isn't a screwup. That she isn't a monster like she thinks she is." Lorelai let her shoulders sag. "I just don't think it got through to her."

"It did," Luke said.

"How do you know?"

"Just, things you say tend to stick with people."

Lorelai grinned and rested her head on Luke's chest. He wrapped his arms around her again and sank back down into the bed. "Yesterday really was perfect," Lorelai muttered, letting her eyes close. "Having everyone there was really incredible. Well, almost everyone…" Lorelai said, trailing off a bit.

Luke kissed the her messy hair and squeezed her closer to him. "Yeah," he said, softly "I understand,"

Lorelai looked up at him and traced her finger over his lips. "Yeah, I know you do."

They remained in each others arms for the remainder of the morning, silently holding each other, enjoying just being in each others arms.

* * *

It was nearly noon when Lorelai and Luke returned home. They had eaten breakfast at the inn, a delicious spread prepared by Sookie and had walked back to the house, taking their time and enjoying the cool, autumn weather.

"My precious, we have returned!" Lorelai called as she burst through the front door. "The newlyweds have arrived back from their long journey!"

"You've been gone for one night," Rory said, entering the living room with a smile on her face.

Lorelai smiled and hugged her daughter tightly. "How are you feeling?" she asked, noticing how pale Rory looked once she pulled away.

"Um, I didn't have the greatest morning,"

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked, a tad bit more a frantic than he had meant to sound.

Rory grinned at him and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I think the, um…" Rory paused and placed a hand on her stomach. "The morning sickness—I think it may have started."

"Oh boy, get ready for a wild ride with that, kid." Lorelai said, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders and walking them into the kitchen. "With you, it was every afternoon at four, like clockwork." Rory arched an eyebrow and Lorelai nodded. "Oh yes, despite its name, morning sickness can sneak up on you no matter the time of day. It really doesn't discriminate."

"Great," Rory muttered, plopping down at the table.

"Do you want some saltines? Or toast? Oh, hey! I think we have some leftover pizza from last night,"

"No, you don't."

"No?"

"April,"

"Ah, hangover food. Gotcha." Lorelai said with a smirk. "Well, toast? I could make that, you know. It's right within my cooking skill-set."

"I don't think I can keep anything down. Especially not your burnt toast." Lorelai pretended to look offended before shrugging it off and grabbing the coffee pot and pouring herself a large mug. "Oh, but coffee on the other hand…"

"No," Luke said, walking into the kitchen. "No coffee,"

"What? No, what?" asked Rory, looking alarmed.

"Coffee," Luke said sternly.

"Mommy?" Rory's eyes darted to her mother nervously.

"Decaf." Luke said, pulling out a packet of coffee from the cabinet.

"Hey! How did that get in here?" Lorelai asked, pointing an accusatory finger at the bag of decaf coffee.

"I ran to Doose's yesterday before the wedding to pick it up." Luke said. "It's just until, you know…the baby is born and all."

Rory crossed her arms across her chest and sunk down in her seat. "Fine," she grumbled. Once Luke had retreated back into the living room, Rory turned her attention to her mom. "Did you see that?" Rory asked, a pout still on her face.

Lorelai, however, was staring in the direction that Luke had walked off in, a sad smile on her face.

"What is it?"

"Oh," Lorelai said, breaking her gaze. "Nothing, just…thinking how we're gonna be able to smuggle you the good stuff, is all."

"Maybe Luke's right, I mean—maybe coffee really isn't good for me now that I'm pregnant. I'm going to have to change so many things. I'm going to have to stop drinking coffee and eating sugar and red meat and…oh my god, sushi. No more spicy salmon rolls for me!"

"Ew," Lorelai said, wrinkling her nose. "Good riddance,"

"I'm not prepared. I wasn't even prepared for the morning sickness. It took me by complete surprise even though I've seen Fargo over a hundred times."

"Hun, you're going to be prepared."

"I don't know the first thing about being pregnant." Rory said, raking her fingers through her hair.

"No, but I do." Lorelai said gently, resting her hand on her daughters shoulder. "I'm here babe. I'm going to help you every step of the way. You know that, right?"

Rory smiled. "I do know that."

Suddenly, the door to Rory's bedroom burst open and April trudged out, looking worse for the wear. She walked to the coffee pot and poured herself a large mug of the steaming liquid before collapsing into a chair next to Lorelai at the table.

After taking a long sip, she looked up and let out a sigh. "Did I hear you say you were pregnant?" she asked in a groggy voice.

Rory glanced at Lorelai, an amused grin on her face. "Uh, yeah, you did."

April nodded before taking another sip of her coffee, standing up and walking back into Rory's bedroom.

"We need to take that girl out more," Lorelai whispered.

* * *

A/N: I know a lot of people don't like April, but I really don't mind her. She's not going to be in this story all that much though, so if you're one of those people who hate her guts, fear not.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter IV

A/N: I really want to give you all a huge thank you! Your kind words mean so much to me and I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this story so far.

* * *

Chapter 4

Lorelai's eyes snapped open.

"Please not the loofa," she said, sitting up in a flash. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. Damn these stupid dreams. She thought they had stopped!

"What happened?" asked a sleepy Luke next to her.

"Um, nothing. You're dreaming." Lorelai said, glancing down at her husband.

"Oh," Luke muttered. "Okay,"

Lorelai smirked and rested her head back down on her pillow, but the sound of drawers opening and closing downstairs pulled her attention elsewhere. Paul Anka was sitting by the door, softly whining to be let out to investigate—although Lorelai suspected that he would chicken out the second she'd turn the knob. Lorelai sighed and slipped her legs out of bed. "Good boy, head back to bed," she said, bending down to gently ruffle Paul Anka's fur. He happily trotted back towards the bed and jumped on top, snuggling next to Luke's body. Lorelai carefully exited her bedroom and descended the stairs slowly.

 _BANG-SLAM-BANG_

"Crap," Lorelai heard Rory's perturbed voice say. Letting out a breath, she picked up her pace. When she entered the kitchen she found various books, notebooks and stationary supplies spread out across the table. Rory was sitting on the floor with her back against the kitchen counters and her laptop was open on her legs.

"Uh, hun? Wanna explain to me what it is you're doing?"

Rory jumped and slammed her laptop shut. "Jeeze! You scared the shit out of me!"

" _You_ scared the shit out of _me_! I thought someone broke in the house and was stealing all our plastic forks and knives."

"The horror," Rory deadpanned, opening her laptop again.

Lorelai smirked and sat down next to her daughter on the floor. "So, whatcha doing?"

Rory sighed and looked at her mother, her face illuminated by the glow of the computer screen. "I'm making a pro-con list."

Lorelai nodded. "Right," She looked at the screen and then back at Rory. "For what?"

"On whether or not I should tell Logan about the pregnancy."

"Oh Rory…no, this isn't some decision you make using a pro-con list!"

"Why not? The pro-con list has never failed me before! It decided on whether or not I should apply to Chilton. It decided what university I'd attend. It helped me decide how I should respond to Logan's proposal at the end of senior year..." she trailed off and looked back down at her list. "It's always guided me in the right direction."

"Yeah, but hun…this is big. Massive. Probably the biggest most massive thing that will ever happen in your life. Logan…well, it's his life too. Don't you think he deserves to know if something so big and massive is happening in it?"

"Mom, he's engaged." Rory said, her voice low. "He's going to marry some French heiress. If I tell him that I'm pregnant he's going to…well, I don't know what he's going to do."

"The pro-con list doesn't know either,"

"What if he doesn't leave her." Rory said, her voice wavering. "What if he does leave her and wants to be with me?"

"Well…" Lorelai paused and gently placed her hand on her daughter's pajama covered knee. "Is that what you want?"

"I don't know," Rory said. "I thought it was. For the longest time I waited for him to tell me he left Odette and that he wanted me back. It just…never happened and after a while, I didn't care that it never happened because I still had him…or some version of him. A version of him I recognized. That I was comfortable with." Rory sighed and rested her head in the palm of her hand. "We had fun together, but…I think I need to grow up a bit and I don't know if I can with Logan."

Lorelai let out a breath and squeezed her knee. "I can't decide this for you babe, but you know my opinion."

"I do,"

"And you'll take it into consideration?"

Rory nodded slightly. "I will."

Lorelai nodded and pushed herself back up into a standing position. "Get to bed soon, okay?"

Rory nodded, but didn't say a word. She watched her mother leave the kitchen to head back to bed, her guilty conscious nagging at her again. She looked back down at her list and continued to type.

* * *

Luke woke up early nearly every single morning. It was a routine he had grown accustomed to. Everyday at a quarter to five in the morning Luke's alarm would go off. He would quickly shut it, not wanting to wake the sleeping beast that was Lorelai Gilmore, jump out of bed, take a quick shower, brush his teeth, get dressed, and then he would head downstairs to put on a pot of coffee for Lorelai to have when she would wake up hours later. He would put fresh food and water in Paul Anka's dish and then he would head off to work. It was the same morning routine everyday and Luke liked that.

However, on this particular morning, before Luke could get to the second half of his routine—the coffee making, the dog feeding— something stopped him. When he entered the kitchen he saw Rory sleeping on the floor. Her laptop was open on the ground next to her, there were empty pop tart wrappers strewn about around her legs, her head was using a marble notebook as a pillow and there were ink stains on her cheek, most likely caused by the pen she held in her hand.

Luke rubbed his face with his hand and walked towards the kitchen table. Carefully, not really knowing what any of the papers and notebooks were being used for, Luke removed Rory's work and brought them into her bedroom. He gently lifted up Rory's laptop and placed it on the kitchen counter and then he nudged his step-daughter awake.

"What?" asked Rory, her eyes fluttering open and instantly clouding over in confusion.

"You fell asleep on the kitchen floor. Years of living with your mom has prepared me for moments just like this, so I won't ask questions."

Rory sat up and stretched her arms above her head. "I was just working," she said, before stifling a yawn.

"On the book?"

"The book, and other things," Rory said absently.

"I can't wait to read it." Luke said, smiling at her. "The book I mean."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, well, it's nowhere near finished."

"Ah, you'll get it done." He said, gently patting her shoulder.

" _Lukey_ —it's five in the morning and I don't smell coffee." Lorelai said as she walked into the kitchen. Her hair was sticking out in many different directions and her pajamas were wrinkled to such an extent that one couldn't recognize what farm animal pattern was on them, even if they tried.

"What the hell are you doing up?" Luke asked.

"Ah, the nose," she said, pointing to her face. "Every morning when you leave I wake up. I always fall back asleep once I hear your truck startup in the driveway, but right as I'm drifting off I can smell the coffee being brewed."

"I didn't know I wake you up. You never said anything."

Lorelai shrugged. "It's my morning routine. I get rudely woken up, I fall back asleep and wake up again later, only this time to a house smelling of coffee."

Luke shook his head. "Crazy lady,"

"You love me," she said before sitting down at the table next to her daughter. "What are you doing up?"

"I found her asleep on the floor," Luke said. "That probably wasn't the best place to spend the night, considering. You need comfort."

"Why did you fall asleep on the floor?" Lorelai asked. "I hope you weren't up all night making that pro-con list."

"What pro-con list?" asked Luke, pouring the coffee into the filter.

"It's nothing," Rory said, waving her hand in front of her face. "Something stupid,"

"Hey kid, I'm a huge proponent of pro-con lists. I definitely don't think they're stupid, but making one to decide whether or not you're going to tell Logan that he's going to be a dad…it just doesn't sit well with me."

"I get it." Rory grumbled, lowering her head into her hands.

"You're not seriously considering not telling Logan…"

This time it was Luke that spoke, causing both Lorelai and Rory to turn their attention towards the man. He had completely stopped preparing the coffee and was now staring at Rory with wide eyes.

"I don't know yet," Rory said, a little hesitantly. "I have to factor in a lot of things."

"My god, Rory—you have to tell him! He's the father, he deserves to know!"

Lorelai turned around and reached out to place a hand on her husband's arm. "Luke, hun, why don't you…"

"This is a huge moment in a persons life! It's not something you hide from someone! Except if that person is Charles Manson or O.J. Simpson…then you hide it."

"Luke, I…" Rory started, taken aback.

"No, I just…" Luke paused and shook his head. "I need to get to the diner. I'll see you guys later."

Lorelai and Rory stared at his retreating back and winced when the sound of the front door slamming shut echoed throughout the house.

* * *

Rory sat in her bedroom later that morning. She stared intently at her laptop as she chewed on her lower lip. She knew the pro-con list was sitting in there waiting to be completed, but she couldn't bring herself to add one more point no matter how solid it may be. Lowering her body onto her bed, Rory closed her eyes and tried to think of a time when life was just a tiny bit simpler. When the greatest stress was finding an alibi for Lane so they could listen to CDs and watch rock concerts on TV. When thoughts of Shakespeare mid-terms were the anxieties keeping her up at night. When her biggest annoyance was being called Mary every day.

Not…this.

The sound of a car door slamming broke Rory out of her self-pitying inner-monologue. She opened her eyes and crawled out of bed, but before she could reach the window to look out into the driveway, there was a knock on her door.

"Rory, you in there?"

It was Luke. "Uh, yeah." She called out. "You can come in." Her bedroom door opened and Luke poked his head in slowly. He looked a bit sheepish, but he wore a small smile on his face nonetheless.

"Hey," he said.

Rory nodded her head in his direction. "Hey," she responded in kind.

They were silent for a moment. Luke looked like he was really struggling to find the right words to say. Rory was about to speak first when Luke let out a sigh.

"I just really wanted to apologize for the way I acted before." he said, taking a step deeper into her room. "I was really out of line."

Rory shrugged. "It's fine, Luke. I respect your opinion. I always have,"

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have expressed my opinion that way. All loud and rude and…" he trailed off and shook his head. "I'm sorry,"

"Luke," Rory said softly, taking a step closer to him. "Is this about April?" It hadn't clicked with her right away, but looking at Luke right now, it all came together.

Luke let out a breath and shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe a little," he paused before sitting down on the trunk in front of her bed. "I just…missed out on so much with her, you know? I mean April has shown me pictures and videos of her when she was a baby, but there's no way that can measure up to the real thing. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Rory sat down at her desk and leaned forward with her hands clasped underneath her chin. "I know I have to tell him. I just need more time."

Luke nodded and stood up. "Hey, when the time is right, you'll know. I gotta get back to the diner, I just really wanted to—"

"Apologize," Rory finished with a small smile. "I know,"

Luke nodded and returned her smile before turning around and heading for the door.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the diner later that night. She knew Luke was about to close up and head home any minute but she was in desperate need of caffeine. She was exhausted, having had one of the most stressful days at the inn yet. Guests upon guests upon guests losing their belongings, destroying inn property and causing three staff members to quit on the spot. That, and paperwork for the Dragonfly's expansion was being written up. It was equal parts exciting and stressful.

"I need coffee," she said, throwing herself onto a stool at the counter. "Serve it in a sauce pot if you could spare one."

"Long day?" asked Luke, handing over her mug.

"The longest, but it's much better now," she said, giving him a smile and taking a sip of her drink. "Bless you,"

"At least pretend you come in here to see me and not just to get my coffee,"

"Aw babe, you didn't think I married you for anything else, did you?" She joked, taking another long gulp. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"What do you mean?" asked Luke, glancing up at her.

"This morning, your meltdown…how are you?"

"It was not a meltdown,"

"A teeny-tiny meltdown," Lorelai said, holding her pointer finger and thumb together.

Luke rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

"Well?" Lorelai pressed.

"Well what? I went home and spoke to Rory about it. I apologized. End of story."

"Who ended the story?"

"I did," Luke said, shaking his head before letting out a sigh. "I just explained to her that it's important for a person to know they are going to have a kid." He paused. "That it's an important milestone in someones life and that Logan deserves to know he has a kid walking around on the earth." He paused again. "And I brought up April,"

Lorelai let out a sigh and touched Luke's arm. "Yeah," she whispered. "I figured that was the reason for the non-meltdown."

"I just missed out on so much. Now she's piercing stuff and smoking stuff and reciting limericks…" He paused and let out a sharp breath. "And," he continued. "I think this Logan guy deserves a chance to know his kid. Especially if his kid is going to be half-Rory."

Lorelai smiled at him, though her eyes were watery. Luke squeezed her arm and walked back into the kitchen to continue cleaning up for the night.

* * *

A/N: I can picture Rory ending up with either Logan or Jess, so I'm still not 100% sure where this story is going to go. I also want to add a few more things into the mix for Luke and Lorelai, which I hope people will enjoy. This is absolutely a story about the next chapter in these characters lives, but I want to try and not make it all about Rory and the baby. I think that's going to be the main focus for the first few chapters, but later on I definitely want to add more to the story for our characters.

Anyway, thanks again for reading this story and reviewing! It's really amazing and I'm having a lot of fun writing this!


	5. Chapter V

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them so much. This is my favorite chapter so far. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

"Hey, why is there no Thanksgiving music?"

Rory looked up from her seat at the kitchen table where she was meticulously arranging crudités on a plate. Lorelai was standing before her, holding a bouquet of autumnal flowers in her hands and wearing a perplexed expression on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"We have Easter music, Halloween music, Christmas music! What happened to Thanksgiving? Where are the all songs about turkeys and mashed potatoes?"

"A sweet medley about sweet potatoes," Rory added, a smile on her face.

"A symphony for stuffing," Lorelai said, sitting down across from her daughter. Her eyes landed on the plate of raw vegetables her daughter was working on and she arched an eyebrow. "Who the hell is that for?"

"Luke," Rory said, adding another carrot to the tray.

"Luke is going to eat all those vegetables?"

"Well, it's going to be more than the three of us. Jess is coming, isn't he?"

Lorelai nodded. "I think so. And my mother,"

Rory's head snapped up to look at her mother. "Grandma's coming?"

"Yeah, you knew this."

"I did not know this," Rory said, her eyes wide. "I thought she was spending Thanksgiving in Nantucket with Berta's family!"

"That was the original plan but she called last week and asked if she could spend the holiday with us. I definitely told you this."

"You did not tell me this!" Rory stood up quickly, causing a few carrots to roll off the table. "This is not good, this is not good." She started pacing around the kitchen, her hands nervously pulling at her sweater. "I'm going to have to tell her,"

Lorelai's eyes widened slightly. "Today?"

"I have to! I can't _not_ tell her. I kept telling myself that the next time I see Grandma, I'm going to tell her. I just thought that wasn't going to be until Christmas." Rory let out a breath. "Nobody knows expect you and Luke. And April, I guess…I wouldn't even know where to begin. And with Jess here! Oh god, Jess is going to find out…"

"Why does it matter if Jess finds out?"

Rory looked at her mother and stopped pacing. "It doesn't matter," she said, quickly shaking her head. "I just didn't really prepare what I was going to say when I told people. I haven't even told Lane. Or Paris,"

"Or Logan," Lorelai added, earning a glare from her daughter. "Sorry, sorry, not the right time."

"What do I say?" Rory asked desperately, sitting back down in her seat at the table. "What did you say when you told grandma and grandpa that you were pregnant?"

"I didn't so much as tell them as I confirmed it."

"What does that mean?"

"One of the maids found my pregnancy test in the trash and congratulated my mother, thinking it was hers."

"Yikes,"

"Yeah, yikes." Lorelai said, letting out a breath. "I was terrified when my mother confronted me about it. I denied it at first but eventually I caved and told them. And well…you know the rest of that story,"

Rory sighed. "I don't even know where to begin."

"I'll be with you the whole time, kid. We'll tell her together."

"I don't want her to blame you," Rory said softly, glancing up at her mom.

"Oh, hun…"

"You guys are finally getting along and being civil to one another. It took you over forty-years to get to this point. I don't want this announcement to take that all away."

"It won't." Lorelai reassured, although there was some doubt in her eyes. "Listen, we'll force feed her, load her up with wine, have her watch Babes in Toyland and then we'll drop the bomb."

"Well, as long as we have a plan."

* * *

The table was moved into the living room and was set for five. Plates upon plates of food were circulating. Wine was being poured and people were laughing, sharing stories and memories of Thanksgivings past.

"I still can't believe you girls ate four Thanksgiving dinners that year. It's madness." Emily said, taking a sip of her red wine.

"Oh, that was nothing." Lorelai said with a wave of her hand.

"Nothing?" laughed Rory. "Don't you remember what happened when we got home that night?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rory smiled wide. "We went to Luke's, he gave us rolls, we went home…"

"And the story ends there." Lorelai said, quickly. "More gravy?" She asked, holding up the dripping gravy boat.

"Mom ate about three rolls in the car," Rory continued, ignoring her mother. "We get back to the house, everything seems fine, but before we get inside mom gets this far off look in her eyes—"

"Gravy? Anyone? No?"

"—She stands still for a moment, not moving at all but then suddenly she says the word 'Rosebud', drops the rolls everywhere and hurls into the bushes in front of the house."

The table erupted in laughter as Lorelai covered her face in her hands and groaned. "My title as world-champion-eater should be stripped away from me."

Luke laughed and patted her back. "So that explains your strict 'no rolls' rule every Thanksgiving afterwards."

Lorelai smirked at him. "I hope you don't think any less of me." Turning her attention on her daughter, Lorelai pointed a finger at her. "If that makes it in the book I'm suing you for defamation of character,"

"Oh yes, your book!" Emily cried, placing her wine glass down on the table and leaning forward excitedly. "Tell me, how is it going?"

Rory smiled. "It's going well, I knocked out a few more chapters this week so now my grand total is seven."

"Seven chapters," Emily smiled."That's marvelous, really marvelous. How long are you planning on making it?"

"As long as the story is told, I guess. Whenever it…ends," She touched her stomach for a brief moment before shaking her head. "I don't have a set goal, yet."

"Well, don't make it too long otherwise Luke's menus are going to be rivaling Proust in length." Lorelai said, rubbing Luke's arm affectionally.

"Do you have contact with any publishers yet?" asked Emily.

Rory shook her head. "Not yet, but I know a few people in the business. I'm sure they can help out."

"I know a few people too," Jess said, looking up from his food. "I can give you a few names, set up a few meetings."

"Really?" asked Rory, a smile forming on her face.

Jess shrugged. "It wouldn't be a big deal. I know a guy who's also a master at organizing book tours if that's something you'd be interested in once you're finished."

Rory looked over at Lorelai, who was giving her a small smile. She knew it would be hard to do any kind of tour once the baby arrived, but she smiled nonetheless and fixed her gaze back on Jess. "That would be great."

Jess smirked at her and nodded before digging back into his Thanksgiving feast. Rory looked at everyone around her, eating and drinking. Her eyes landed on her grandmother, who was cutting up a piece of turkey on her plate when a whirl of panic began to swirl inside her.

She quickly stood up, bringing the attention back on her. "I need to get more napkins," she said.

"We have plenty right here," Luke said, picking up a giant stack at his end of the table.

"Well, those aren't festive enough. We need those cornucopia ones that we picked up at Doose's yesterday." She paused and gave everyone a smile. "I'll go look for them." she said before racing into the kitchen.

Lorelai looked after her daughter, a frown on her face. "I'm gonna go see if she needs any help,"

"To look for napkins?" asked Emily, raising an eyebrow.

"Luke likes to hide them, it's a little game we play." Lorelai said, standing up from her seat.

"It's an odd marriage you two have, isn't it?" Emily asked, looking at Luke.

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah…we are odd." He said, shooting Lorelai a glare before she exited the living room.

* * *

Rory was digging through the lower cabinets when Lorelai walked into the kitchen.

"Hun, we don't actually have cornucopia napkins," Lorelai said, causing Rory to jump up and turn around quickly.

"I know that," she said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right," Lorelai said, taking a step closer to her daughter. "So what are you doing?"

"Freaking out, can't you tell? I learned it from you,"

"Ah, yes, there was something vaguely familiar about that display. Is this about grandma?"

"Of course it's about grandma." Rory said. "I need to tell her. I have to."

"And you will,"

"I need to tell her now before I lose my nerve."

"Rory, I don't know if now is exactly the right time. We didn't even have pie yet,"

"Right, pie." Rory let out a breath and placed a hand on her chest. "Well, as soon as the pie is finished, I'm telling her."

"Telling me what?"

Lorelai and Rory jumped and turned towards Emily, who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"How pretty you smell," Lorelai said, giving her mom a smile. "Is that a new perfume because it's really…"

"Quiet, Lorelai," Emily said, walking closer towards them. She looked directly at Rory and raised an eyebrow. "Well? You have something to tell me? I'm here now."

Rory nodded. "Right, well…grandma…" She paused and looked at Lorelai who was standing off to the side, her eyes darting everywhere around the room. "You remember Logan right?" Emily nodded. "Well, I've been keeping in touch with him. Whenever I was in London we would meet up." Emily nodded again, without saying a word. "We would get dinner sometimes and drinks and go see shows but sometimes we would do more than that," Rory looked at her grandmother, trying to gage a reaction. So far, she had none. "This has been going on for quite sometime and I know it's wrong because he's, well… he's not exactly single and I wasn't exactly single and they weren't my proudest moments and…" she trailed off, her voice starting to break. "I'm so sorry grandma." She said, stepping forward and enveloping her grandmother in a hug. "I'm so sorry,"

"Sorry about what?" asked Emily, patting her granddaughter's back.

"Sorry because I'm pregnant," Rory said, closing her eyes tightly. "I know this isn't what you wanted for me or what we all had planned. I'm so sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry I let Grandpa down. He would be so disappointed in me,"

"Enough," Emily said, detaching herself from Rory's embrace. "Enough," she repeated, giving Rory a stern look. "Young lady, your grandfather loved you very much. He thought the world of you and it would take quite a lot for him to have felt anything less than love and pride towards you. And the same goes for me,"

"What?" "What?" asked both Lorelai and Rory at the same time.

"If there is one thing I learned this past year is that plans change. Your father and I had plans. We were going to move to the Vineyard or the Cape. We were going to go sailing around the world. We were going to ride roller-coasters and go out dancing," Emily paused and shook her head. "I was supposed to go first. That was the plan,"

"Mom," Lorelai whispered.

"My point is, plans change and you have to change with them." Emily walked towards Rory and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a smart, brave and very loving young woman. This doesn't change any of that."

Rory smiled and wiped away a few tears that had leaked from her eyes. "Thanks, Grandma."

Emily nodded and with a small shake of her head, turned around to look at Lorelai. "Now, I believe we've been absent long enough." Lorelai and Rory watched as Emily walked back into the living room.

"Feel my forehead," Lorelai said, to which Rory obliged. "Check my pulse," she added. Rory placed her fingers on her mother's neck, all while her eyes remained glued to the spot her grandmother had just been standing. "What are warning signs of a stroke because I think I'm having one,"

"I don't know, do you smell toast?" asked Rory, absently.

"I smell turkey, what does that mean?"

"That its Thanksgiving?"

"Oh," Lorelai looked at her daughter and shook her head. "Well, that went well."

"Really well,"

"Maybe it's Nantucket. Maybe they pipe lithium in the air or something."

"Or maybe she really has a new outlook on life." Rory said, before retreating back into the living room. Lorelai followed her daughter and smirked when she saw Luke and Jess walking down the flight of stairs.

"Where were you two just now?"

"Upstairs, I wanted to show Jess the entertainment center in the bedroom and…" he paused and leaned his head closer to her, "These walls aren't exactly soundproof and it seemed like you guys needed your privacy,"

Lorelai smiled and kissed him softly. "How do you know us so well?"

"After all these years, it kinda just comes naturally, god help me."

Lorelai smiled again and rubbed his arm before sitting back down at the table.

* * *

"Hey, you all right?" asked Jess as he returned to his seat next to Rory at the table.

"I'm fine," Rory said quickly, giving Jess a smile. "You know me when I drink too much. I'm all over the place."

Jess glanced down at her wine glass and saw that it was filled with water. "You're not drinking," he said, his eyes traveling to her face once more.

"Oh, well, I was sitting next to mom before and sometimes just smelling it gets me," She stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes. "Ya know, loopy."

Jess continued to stare at her with an amused expression on his face. "Right," he said, after a moment.

"Anyway, who wants pie?"

* * *

"That was a wonderful dinner, Lorleai." Emily said later that evening as she slipped on her coat.

"Luke cooked most of it. I just basted."

"And even with that you needed supervision." Rory said with a smirk.

Emily turned towards her granddaughter wrapped her in a hug. "I meant what I said before," she said.

"Thank you," Rory replied, kissing her grandmother's cheek.

"I have a list of some excellent doctors in the Hartford area, if you're interested. I also still have some correspondence with a few of Richard's lawyer friends, if you need any help legally."

"Ah, mom, we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it." Lorelai said, touching her arm.

Emily nodded. "Very well," She turned her attention back to Rory. "Have you gone to get your first sonogram yet?"

Rory shook her head. "No, not yet."

"Good," Emily said. "I'd like to go with you when you do, if you don't mind."

"I'd like that," Rory said, hugging her grandmother again. "I'll call you with details."

Emily smiled. "Good, well, my flight leaves at nine so I really must go."

"I really wish you could stay," Rory said.

"I do too, but I have to work tomorrow," she said, a smile on her face. "The day after Thanksgiving is extremely popular at the museum."

"Well, we'll see you at the sonogram, then!"

"We'll be the ones wearing the Ally McBeal dancing baby shirts." Lorelai said with a smile.

Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Good night, ladies,"

"Get home safe!" Rory called before closing the door. "Do you have an off switch?"

"Luke's been searching for it for years but he still hasn't found one," Lorelai said with a wink before walking back into the living room to help clean up.

* * *

"God, I'm stuffed." Lorelai said as she climbed into bed later that night.

"The hedges are that way," Luke said, pointing to the window, which earned him a playful slap on the arm.

"I'm gonna kill Rory for sharing that story."

Luke chuckled and sat down on the bed, covering his face with his hands. "I'm stuffed too."

"You made a damn good meal, babe." Lorelai said, rubbing his back.

Luke smirked and kissed her lightly before turning off the light and laying his head on his pillow. Lorelai followed suit and turned over on her side, wrapping her arm around Luke's middle. After a few moments, she felt Luke's breath becoming more even and she let out a sigh, moving herself closer to him. She took in a deep breath and smiled at his smell—coffee with a hint of pine. She loved that smell. The thought of ever being without that smell made her stomach ache.

"Hey Luke?" she whispered, burying her face into his chest.

"Mmm," he moaned, not opening his eyes.

"Make sure I go first, okay?"

"Mmm," Lorelai smiled and kissed his chest before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

A/N: Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm definitely taking all your thoughts into consideration and I hope you'll all stick around to see what happens!


	6. Chapter VI

A/N: I really want to thank you all, once again, for your sweet and supportive reviews! I really am glad that a majority of you seemed pleased with Emily's reaction to the news. I truly think that that would be the reaction that Emily 2.0 would have. She is not fixated on social standings and her reputation anymore. She cares for her family and her granddaughter above all and I truly believe she would be nothing but supportive. Of course, I want to definitely dive into deeper feelings that she may have and not have it so cut and dry, but we'll get into all of that later.

This is definitely a shorter chapter and it's setting up the story for Act II, if you will. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

She was watching him, but not too closely as to make it obvious. Her right leg was jumping nervously while her hands kept mindlessly flipping through various Gazette articles. She watched as his eyebrows rose and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. He flipped the page over and shook his head in what seemed to be amusement. She let out a sigh, causing him to glance up at her.

"Patience," he said, lowering his eyes back to the pages in his hands.

She frowned. "I have patience,"

A few more minutes of silence passed until he finally placed the stack of papers down on the desk and grinned. "It's good," he said. "Really good,"

"Jess…" she started, sounding doubtful.

"I mean it—if it was a real loser I would tell you."

"And it's not?"

"It's not."

Rory smiled and relaxed a bit in her chair. "Good," she sighed in obvious relief. "I've been working really hard on it."

Jess nodded. He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands on his stomach. "It shows. You know, I never knew about that whole Dean thing, or shall I say…" He picked up her story again and flipped through the pages for a moment before stumbling upon the pseudonym she had chosen for her former boyfriend, "Darren?" He chuckled and placed the papers back on her desk. "Falling asleep at Miss Patty's after the dance? Pretty scandalous stuff,"

Rory laughed. "It was for me!" She paused and shook her head. "I had forgotten about that for the longest time. Being back here and really spending time with people…when I ran into Dean last month a whole slew of memories came flooding back. Memories I hadn't thought about in years. It was the same when I went into the antique store." She laughed again and leaned forward. "Like the time Lane and I first hollowed out her floorboards to store her CDs, or when I attended my first Kim wedding."

"This place definitely makes you remember things," Jess said.

"It does," Rory agreed. "It makes me remember things with you, too."

"Ah, not exactly the best memories,"

"That's not true," Rory argued.

Jess shook his head. "Nah, it is." He shrugged his shoulders and moved to stand up. "But its part of your story, so don't edit anything out. Just don't change my name to anything ridiculous, all right?"

"So Winston is out?"

Jess chuckled and swung his messenger bag over his shoulder. He moved towards the door to leave, but he paused. "Hey, what are you doing later?"

"Later?" asked Rory. "Nothing, why?"

"Do you wanna catch a movie or something? Maybe we can find inspiration for my name."

"They are playing Psycho at the theater tonight. I think Norman really suits you,"

"On second thought…"

"It sounds like fun," Rory said with a nod. "We'll meet up at eight?"

"Eight it is," Jess responded before exiting the Gazette building. Rory watched him walk out and smiled, her anxiety momentarily disappearing.

* * *

Rory stood in her bedroom later that evening, smoothing out her sweater and skirt combination as she studied her reflection in the mirror. It was very challenging for her to imagine herself with a baby bump and she briefly wondered if she would ever be able to fit into her old clothes again. She wondered how big she would get. If she would expand not just in her stomach, but all over? She was about to stuff a pillow under her shirt to get a "feel" for it when her mom knocked on her door and poked her head in.

"Hey," she said, a smile on her face. "You look nice!"

"Thanks," Rory said, returning her smile.

"How did the editing with Jess go?"

"It wasn't really editing so much as a peer review." Rory said. "And it went well. He seemed for really like it."

"Well of course he did," Lorelai said with a firm nod as she sat down on Rory's bed. "I don't even need to read it to know it's a smash."

"You will read it though, right?"

"Hun, of course I'll read it. When everyone is praising the character of Lorelai Gilmore and Kate Winslet is playing me in the movie, I'll read it."

"Thanks for the support,"

"Day one, first day on the shelf, I'll be camped out in front of the bookstore and I'm going to buy ten thousand copies and read them all." Lorelai said, reaching out to rub her daughter's arm. "I really can't wait."

"I know," Rory said with a grin before glancing at her watch. "Oh, I need to go."

"Where?"

"Oh, Jess and I are going to see a movie."

At this, Lorelai looked surprised. "Jess?"

Suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable, Rory nodded. "Yeah, we're going to see Psycho."

"Jess and you?"

"Yes,"

"You and Jess?"

"Again, yes."

"Are going to the movies?"

"Mom…"

"No, I'm sorry, it's just a little…"

"What?" Rory folded her arms across her chest. "We're friends, mom. You know this."

"I do know this,"

"And friends hang out. They go to the movies and peer review each others work."

Lorelai nodded. "That seems to be the case."

"So what's the big deal?"

"No big deal," Lorelai said with a shake of her head.

Rory nodded and grabbed her coat and purse. She could feel Lorelai's eyes burning a hole into her, but she remained steady. She glanced at her reflection once more and caught her mother's eye in the mirror. "It's not a date!"

"I didn't say it was!"

"But you're thinking it!"

"I am not!"

Rory groaned and shook her head. "It's not a date. Neither one of us thinks it's a date. We're hanging out and discussing what name I should give him in my book. There is nothing romantic going on…"

Lorelai nodded. "All right,"

"I would know if it was a date or not and it's definitely not a date."

"Okay then,"

"Okay," Rory nodded firmly before finally putting on her coat and leaving.

* * *

"I really don't think Norman is the way to go," laughed Jess as the pair exited the Black, White and Read.

"Oh no?" Rory asked, laughing as well.

"I won't make a believable Norman. My actions would be questionable and then there goes the integrity of your book."

"So the success of my book relies solely on your name?"

Jess shrugged. "I just don't want to see you on Oprah with the Gilmore name being dragged through the mud."

"It's nice that you're looking out for me," she said, still laughing.

"Yeah, well, I gotta pass the time somehow."

"When are you heading back to New York?"

"Tomorrow," he said, glancing at her. "My schedule is pretty lax right now."

"So that explains your willingness to help me with my book."

"That, and I really think it could be a hit."

"Well, your encouragement is definitely appreciated." She smiled at him and tightened her coat around her body. "Well, I guess we should…"

"Do you want to have a drink?" he asked.

Her eyes widened slightly. "A drink?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, it's still early. We can go to that secret bar everyone is yammering about."

Despite the chilly autumn weather, Rory felt her palms suddenly grow slick with sweat. "I don't know…" she said, her voice faltering a bit.

"They probably don't serve anything worth spending money on. Your desk probably has a better stash but it might be a good time."

"I don't know…" she repeated, her breathing becoming a bit labored.

"Okay," Jess said, sounding a bit unsure. "Is it safe to ask if you want to get dinner sometime?"

At this, Rory fully looked at him, her lips parting. "Dinner?"

"You know, food, eating?"

"I can't,"

Jess nodded. "Oh, okay, that's fine…"

"It's not that I don't want to!" Rory quickly added, sensing his disappointment. "I mean, it's not that I want to…" she trailed off. "I mean…I don't know what I mean."

"It's just dinner, Rory."

"It's not that…" Her heart was pounding in her chest and her stomach was felt like it was being tossed around like pizza dough. She thought of the tiny human currently lodging in her uterus and all the unanswered questions still buzzing around her like a hive of bees. "I can't," she said, tears immediately entering her eyes. Before he could answer, she quickly turned on her heel and practically ran down the street in the direction of home.

* * *

When Rory walked through her front door she was met with the blasting sounds of Mad Max: Fury Road. Luke was slumped down on the couch while Lorelai sat on the floor, one arm gripping his leg while the other was holding a large bag of chips.

"Yes!" Lorelai laughed. "Luke, are you watching!?"

"I'm watching," Luke said sounding annoyed, but his hand was gently rubbing her head affectionally, exposing his true feelings.

Rory allowed her eyes to linger on them for a second before going into her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and blindly walked towards her bed. Reaching into her pocket, Rory pulled out her cellphone and dialed an all too familiar number. With bated breath, she waited.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Rory said, her voice shaking. "It's me,"

"Ace?"

"Yeah…um, we need to talk."

* * *

A/N: My main intention with this story was to avoid the whole "love triangle" story line, but I guess thats hard to navigate around when it's so present in the original plot. I definitely want to stay true to the characters and have their reactions be as genuine as possible. I'm excited to continue this story, I definitely have some ideas of where this goes beyond just TELLING PEOPLE THE NEWS.

Again, thank you all so much and I hope you enjoyed this (short as heck) chapter! I'll update as soon as I can!


	7. Chapter VII

A/N: Your feedback has been amazing! I really hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 7

Dr. Melinda Stern: the most sought after OBG-YN on the Eastern seaboard. According to Emily Gilmore, that is. Lorelai, Rory and Emily sat patiently in the waiting room, listening to the mellow melodies that were piped in through invisible speakers, sipping tea and reading up-to-date magazines.

"She comes highly recommended," Emily said, biting into a raspberry scone that was also served to them along with the tea. "It's very hard to get an appointment with her."

"Well, lucky for us we have connections," Lorelai said.

"Truly Mitchell's daughter went to Dr. Stern for her first child and she said the experience was delightful."

"Delightful?" laughed Lorelai. "Really? She pushed a human being out of her nether-regions and used the word 'delightful'?"

"Yes," Emily said. "All thanks to Dr. Stern. She's a miracle worker."

"Or she has a miraculous supply of drugs."

"Lorelai, really,"

"Mom, no woman who was in complete consciousness at the time of giving birth would describe it as delightful! They would describe it as agonizing and harrowing, like doing a split on a crate of dynamite!"

"Stop it, you're going to scare Rory." She paused. "Although…"

Rory glanced over at her grandmother and mother, having barely registered their conversation at all. Her mind was currently a scary jumble of the endless possibilities that lay ahead of her. In just a few short hours, she would be on an airplane headed to London. She didn't care about the doctor or the music or the tea. She could only focus her mind on one thing: what she was going to tell Logan.

"You know, women make appointments with Dr. Stern before they even get pregnant. That's how in demand she is." Emily said, glancing at her daughter.

"How proactive of them,"

"While you're here, it might be a good idea to put your name down."

Lorelai looked at her mother. "What for?"

"Well, have you completely ruled out the possibility of having a child?"

"I have a child." Lorelai said with strained grin.

"I mean with Luke."

"I know what you mean mom, and…" Lorelai paused. "I have to focus on Rory now. She's having a baby, in case you forgot the real reason we're here today."

"I didn't forget, but I think it's ridiculous for you to put your own life on hold for your grown-adult daughter."

Lorelai sighed. "Mom,"

"Is this about your age?"

"Well, yeah, that's definitely a factor. I'm not exactly sixteen anymore. Or thirty, or forty!"

"Please, women are having children older and older nowadays."

"Yeah, with the help of about a million dollars worth of fertility treatments,"

"Do you not want to have more kids? Is that it?"

"Mom, please…" Lorelai begged. "I really can't talk about this now."

Emily sighed and turned her attention away from her daughter. "Fine,"

Lorelai chewed on her lower lip and absently flipped through a magazine she had long since abandoned. She thought about the conversation she had with Luke many months ago and the ill-fated trip to the fertility clinic Paris ran in New York. If having children with Luke was in the cards, it would've happened already. Right?

"Gilmore?" asked a petite blonde woman, poking her head into the waiting room. "You can go into room three. Dr. Stern will be with you in just a moment."

Lorelai and Emily stood up while Rory remained glued to her seat. Lorelai nudged her daughter, bringing her out of her temporary deep-thought induced stupor.

"Right," Rory said, pulling her sweater down a bit. "Let's go,"

The three Gilmore women followed the small blonde into the room they were assigned. Rory quickly dressed in a floral printed paper gown while Lorelai and Emily sat on cushioned seats, waiting for the famous Dr. Stern to arrive.

It was as though spritely forest flutes should have played the second Dr. Stern stepped into the office. She was tall, beautiful, with a round face and long red hair. She wasn't wearing typical doctors clothes either. Instead, she wore a long green skirt and a lilac colored peasant top.

"Rory Gilmore?" she asked in a soft, melodic voice.

"Yes," Rory said, arching an eyebrow slightly. "That's me,"

"Welcome, welcome," Dr. Stern said, shaking Rory's hand. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Oh, well, you too."

Dr. Stern turned her attention away from Rory and stared at the other two women in the room. Lorelai and Emily remained silent for a moment, before popping up from their seats.

"Oh!" Lorelai said, shaking her head. "I'm Lorelai, the mother of the mother. This is Emily, the mother of the mother of the mother," she paused. "Or just Lorelai and Emily, will do."

Dr. Stern smiled. "Yes, of course," she turned her large green eyes back to Rory, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room staring at the various machines and tools that were placed precisely on a table nearby. "Is this your first pregnancy?" she asked.

"Yes," Rory said with a nervous nod.

"Oh excellent," Dr. Stern clapped her hands together. "I love first time mothers," She led Rory over to the examining table and helped her sit atop it. "Do you have an idea of how far along you are?"

"Seven weeks," Rory answered. "Give or take a day…or two," she added.

"And where is the proud papa-to-be today?" Dr. Stern asked as she jotted down a few things on a clipboard.

"He's not here," Rory said, somewhat awkwardly. "I mean, obviously he's not here-here. I mean, he's not _here_. At the moment,"

Dr. Stern looked at her for a brief second before nodding. "Uh-huh, I see." her voice never losing it's cheery tone. "Well, no worries, Rory. We're going to make this a snappy procedure. Just lay back and let me do my thing."

"Isn't she wonderful?" Emily whispered to Lorelai as they watched her turn on the monitors.

"Oh yeah, wonderful. Does the enchanted forest know missing?" Lorelai whispered back.

"Stop that," Emily scolded. "She makes every birth as deligh—as comfortable as possible."

"Yeah, well, I definitely want Rory to be comfortable." Lorelai said, smirking as the Dr. Stern put some of the cold gel on Rory's flat stomach. Flashbacks to her first ultrasound played in her mind like an old movie. Man, that was a lifetime ago.

"I still think you should put your name down for an appointment,"

Lorelai let out a sigh. "Mom, Rory and I are close. But in no way are we pregnant-at-the-same-time, Father of the Bride Part 2, close. Understand?"

"I swear, I need a translator with you."

"Who even knows if its safe for me to even get pregnant at this age."

"Janet Jackson is pregnant at fifty." Emily said.

"What?"

"I was just reading about it in a magazine out in the waiting room. She's fifty years old and she's pregnant."

Lorelai shook her head and was about to respond when suddenly the sound of a tiny thumping filled the room.

"Here we go," Dr. Stern said, an image appearing on the monitor before her. "This is your uterus," she said, her hand moving the probe around her stomach. "And this, is your baby."

Lorelai and Emily moved towards Rory in what seemed like a daze. "Is that?" Lorelai asked, her breath hitching in her throat.

"The heartbeat," Dr. Stern said, smiling wide. "Yes, it is."

"Wow," Lorelai whispered, placing her hand on Rory's shoulder.

"It's so small," Rory said, her eyes scanning the image before her.

"Baby is about the size of a blueberry right now. Or a bean,"

"A bean," Rory repeated.

"Everything is moving along at a nice pace. Baby looks healthy. Mommy is healthy. I'm going to give you a few natural vitamins you should take to make sure things stay that way then I'll print up a few copies of baby's first picture and I'll send you on your merry way."

The three women didn't respond, their eyes still glued to the screen.

Dr. Stern smiled and left the room, leaving them to share this moment together.

About thirty minutes later, with about a dozen copies of the ultrasound picture and a bag full of prenatal vitamins, Rory, Lorelai and Emily exited the doctors office.

"Oh Rory, thank you so much for letting me be apart of that." Emily said, her eyes still a bit misty.

"Of course Grandma, I wanted you here." Rory said. "Thank _you_ for recommending Dr. Stern. She's really great,"

"Only the best for my granddaughter and soon-to-be great-grand child."

Rory smiled and wrapped her arms around Emily. "I wish we could all spend the rest of the day together, but I really have to get to the airport."

Lorelai sighed and rubbed her daughter's arm. "You're sure you don't want me coming with you? I really don't mind."

"I know you don't, but this is something I have to do on my own."

"Telling him face to face is very mature," Emily said with a nod. "Responsible."

"Yeah, well, I had to learn sometime."

"Remember, you can call me no matter what the time is." Lorelai said, her eyes not masking her concern. "I mean it,"

"Thanks," Rory said, letting out a breath. "All right, I'm off."

"It's going to be fine," Lorelai said, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug. "No matter what happens, it's going to be fine."

"I think I'm starting to realize that myself," Rory said, giving her mother one last squeeze before breaking free. She hugged Emily one last time before turning and walking down the long hallway of the doctor's building.

"See you in a few days!" Lorelai called, gripping her purse tightly.

Rory looked over her shoulder and waved, before continuing her way down the hall.

"You're worried," Emily said, looking at her daughter.

"Of course I'm worried, mom." Lorelai said with a sigh. "You know the Huntzberger's…you know how much social status and reputation means to them."

"Yes, I do."

"Rory showing up and saying that she is carrying Logan's child throws a wrench into this great dynastic plan the Huntzburger's have." Lorelai shook her head. "Rory used to be the girl who would wear her heart on her sleeve, but that's changed over the years. I'm not really sure what she wants and I don't know if she does either. I want this to be a happy, exciting time in her life. I don't want the Huntzberger's doing anything to ruin that."

"They may be Huntzberger's but we're Gilmore's." Emily said, placing a hand on Lorelai's arm. "Nobody can ruin anything for us without our consent."

Lorelai cracked a smile and shrugged her shoulder. "I guess,"

They were silent for a moment before Emily nodded her head and started walking down the same hallway Rory had retreated minutes before. "I still have a few hours before I need to head back. I think we could both use a coffee, my treat."

Lorelai watched her mother walk away and let out a small breath before nodding her head in agreement and following her down the hall.

* * *

It was late. And cold. Rory walked down the dark streets of London, having just exited her hotel, in hopes of finding a nice cafe where she could have some cocoa and prepare herself for the upcoming day. She had called Logan as soon as she arrived, informing him that she was staying at The Holiday Inn and that she would meet up with him in the morning for coffee and breakfast. He agreed, saying that it all sounded like a great idea. A well thought out plan. Something he was looking forward to. It struck Rory as odd, however, that even when she had first mentioned wanting to see him, he never seemed surprised. It had been so customary for her to call him requesting to meet and "catch up" in the past, that perhaps this time around it just seemed routine which brought about his rather perfunctory response.

London was bustling with tourists and locals, like always. Rory passed by countless cafe's whose delicious scents tempted her to go inside, but silence and peace was what she really craved. After walking down a few more blocks, Rory finally stumbled upon a tiny cafe with minimal people inside. She let out a breath and pushed open the door. Immediately she found a small little table in the corner and sat down, removing her coat and scarf and draping them over the back of her chair. A waitress walked towards her and gave her a smile.

"What'll you have, love?" she asked, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Some hot chocolate and an almond roll, please."

"It will be ready in a few minutes," the waitress responded before walking away towards the back of the cafe.

Rory enjoyed people watching, especially in a busy metropolises like London or Manhattan. She loved observing different mannerisms, different ways people greeted each other or said goodbye to each other. In her mind, Rory would create backstories for each and every person she would watch. It was a fun game her mother had "invented" when she was younger when they would spend their afternoons sitting in the park, at the library or at Luke's.

She had been enjoying the view of the various families and couples walking down the busy London streets when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, her heart nearly leapt out of her throat.

"Logan," she said, her eyes taking in his appearance. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her and pulled her up out of her seat and into a tight hug. "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I recognized that pensive look in the cafe window."

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," Rory said, suddenly feeling extremely nervous.

He chuckled and sat down in the vacant seat next to her. "You look good, Ace." he said.

"You do too," she replied with a nod. "Very tan,"

"Yeah, well, we just got back from Tahiti. The sun is very popular there."

"Tahiti?" Rory asked, impressed. "I didn't realize you do business in Tahiti."

"I don't," Logan said, suddenly looking a bit nervous himself. "I was there for my…honeymoon."

The last word hung in the air like dark, ominous cloud. Rory wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. Surely she hadn't.

"Honeymoon?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

Logan nodded, his eyes glancing down at the wood table. "Yeah, honeymoon,"

"So, you're married,"

"That usually precedes the honeymoon,"

"I can't believe this."

"Rory…"

"I thought the wedding wasn't for another six months?"

"We decided to push it up." Logan said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It's not like anything was stopping us."

"No, of course not," Rory said, leaning back in her chair. "What could possibly stop you?"

"Hey,"

"I guess congratulations are in order, then?"

Logan shook his head. "Unbelievable,"

"What?"

He looked at her. "What do you want, Rory? Why did you want to see me? Did you suddenly have a change of heart? Did you wake up one morning and decide that you changed your mind? That you did want to see me again? Because the last time I checked, everything seemed pretty final between us."

She felt foolish. Her cheeks were hot and stomach was starting to ache. "No," she said. "I didn't mean…"

"You're the one who came here." he said. "You're the one who wanted to see me again. Not the other way around," he paused and shook his head. "That came out wrong,"

"No, no…it's perfectly fine and understandable." Rory said, giving a slight nod. "You're right…"

He sighed. "So," he said. "Why did you come here? You sounded pretty serious on the phone."

She sighed. "It can wait for tomorrow," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"No," he said, reaching across the table and touching her hand gently. "You need to tell me,"

She looked up. "Why?"

"Because judging by the look on your face and how sweaty your hand is, if I leave you now, you'll never tell me. I'll never see you again. You'll leave and that will be it."

"I won't," she whispered.

"Rory," he said, his voice serious. "Please, tell me…"

She let out a shaky breath and looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

His mouth opened slightly, his eyes becoming dazed and round. Slowly, he leaned back in his seat and withdrew his hand from hers. Clearly, this was not the revelation he was expecting. "What?" he asked, his voice suddenly deep.

"I found out a few weeks ago," she answered, keeping her composure. "I know this is a shock. It was a shock for me too. And I know you probably have a lot of questions and I hope I can answer them."

"I…um, I…" Logan sputtered, rubbing his face with his hand. "This is…"

"Stop," Rory said, holding up her hand. "You need time to process this information. It's only fair. I've had weeks to live with it. I just need you to know that this is what you want it to be,"

"Excuse me?"

"If you want to be involved, you can be involved. If you don't, that's fine too."

"It's fine…" he paused and shook his head. "Rory, I don't…I can't…"

Rory nodded and stood up slowly. "I understand," she said. "This is big."

"Yeah," he said, not looking at her.

She pulled on her coat and picked up her purse. Opening it up, she pulled out the sonogram picture she had received earlier that morning.

"Here," she said. "I went this morning before my flight."

He took the blurred image in his hands and stared at it, his face growing paler and paler by the second. When he didn't say anything, Rory nodded again and gently touched his shoulder.

"I just wanted you to know,"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. With one last shaky breath, Rory walked to the counter to pick up her order before leaving the cafe with a final glance at the still silent and still Logan.

* * *

Lorelai let out a long, deep sigh as she collapsed onto the couch later that night. She felt exhausted and stressed and overall, just not great. She hadn't heard from Rory yet, which was enough to keep her mind overworked, but her coffee date with her mother just fueled her with more doubt and questions about the future, the Huntzberger's and Janet Jackson.

Glancing to her left, she grinned when she saw that Luke was still looking at the sonogram picture intently. "Find anything new?" she asked, leaning against his arm.

"Huh?"

"You've been staring at that thing for the past four hours, hun." she said, affectionately. "What are you expecting to see? Horns and a pointy tail? Should I get the tannis root?"

"How amazing is this?" he asked. "This little…blob, is a baby."

"Do the medical books know about you?"

"I'm serious," he said.

"I know," Lorelai reached forward and traced her finger over the tiny "blob" in the picture. "It's amazing," she paused and bite her lower lip. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I want this for us,"

He looked at her. "What?"

"This," she said, her finger still tracing the picture. "All of this,"

"Lorelai…"

"I know we took the conversation off the table months ago but I'm officially putting it back on."

"You are?"

"Yes," Lorelai said. "I don't know if it's possible. I don't know if it will happen. But I want to try. I want to really explore all our options." She paused and took his hand in hers. "I just want you to be fully on board with this. I want you to want this just as much as I do. If you feel like you don't want this, even a little bit, tell me now and we'll forever squash this conversation. I just need…"

"I want to…" he said, his eyes locking with hers. "I don't want to squash it."

She let out a breath. "Okay…" she said slowly.

"There is a lot to take into consideration, though." he said, his eyes traveling back to the sonogram in his hands.

"Right," she said.

"Our ages, for one."

"Watch it…"

"Lorelai,"

"I know." she said, gently touching his arm.

"All those fancy shots and whatnot…it's expensive and they don't always work."

Lorelai nodded, a small smile forming on her face.

"And my opinions on surrogacy still stand. Mainly because Paris just freaks me out. Besides I don't know if…" he paused when he noticed that Lorelai was no longer speaking and that she was just staring at him with a dopey grin on her face. "What?"

"You've thought about this,"

He shrugged. "A bit. With Rory being pregnant and all…it makes you think more clearly about things,"

She nodded. "I get it babe. I get all of it." She rested her head on his shoulder. "So, are we doing this?"

He looked down at her and softly kissed her forehead. "I think we're doing this,"

* * *

A/N: I know the readers are mixed with their feelings on who they want Rory to end up with. Some are so here for Logan and others are holding up fan signs for Jess. I, personally, don't have a favorite and I can totally see Rory ending up with either of them or none of them. The last chapter was definitely not the last for Jess and this is definitely not the last for Logan. They will both be back.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm really excited to continue it! Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter VIII

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! Your support for this story is amazing!

* * *

Chapter 8

She allowed the steady stream of water to envelop her body. The steam was filling up the room at a rapid pace, blinding but comforting at the same time. She scrubbed at her body, eager to get the feeling of airplane off her. She had arrived home from London less than an hour ago. After a plane delay of about four hours plus some pretty heavy turbulence (which just made her already weak stomach all the more shaky), all Rory Gilmore wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep till the baby was born.

She had stayed in London for three days. She didn't leave her hotel room once. She ordered room service, watched The Great British Bake Off and waited. Waited for Logan to call. Waited for Logan to show up. Waited to hear from him in any way, shape, or form whether by text message or smoke signal.

Rory didn't necessarily care what she heard, as long as it was something. Calling Logan and going to London prepared Rory for many different possible scenarios. She prepared herself for his shock, his anger, his confusion, his joy, his nervousness…what she didn't prepare for was nothing. Logan wasn't a nothing guy. He was grand gestures, easy to talk to, always-have-an-answer or comeback guy. Even when things weren't working in his favor, he always spoke to her. Rory didn't know how to deal with nothing. How do you gage nothing?

Turning off the water, Rory tied her damp hair into a knot at the top of her head and towel dried her body in a lackadaisical manner. She slipped on her pajama bottoms and a grey thermal sweater and stepped out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam following her. Upon entering her bedroom, Rory stopped short and rose an eyebrow at the sight of her mother sitting on her bed, her hands folded delicately on her lap.

"I'm sorry, do you need help with something? Perhaps you've lost your way and wandered into my home?" Lorelai asked, her shoulders straightening up. "I mean, you _do_ look a bit familiar. Almost like my daughter, but I haven't seen her in days or heard from her for that matter, so my memory is a little fuzzy."

"Mom," Rory said, folding her arms across he chest.

"Oh, it is you!" Lorelai said, standing up from her daughter's bed. "Hun," she said, holding her arms open.

Rory sighed and walked into her mother's arms, allowing herself to be held for just a moment. "I know," she said.

"What's going on? I thought we agreed you'd call me once you landed and checked in and told him…" she held her daughter out at arms length and searched her face. "You did tell him, right?"

"I did tell him," Rory said, stepping away and walking towards her bed. She collapsed onto it, not caring that her wet hair was currently soaking her pillow.

"I'm gonna need a little more than that, sweets." Lorelai said, sitting back down next to her.

"Nothing went as planned." Rory said, dragging her hands over her face. "I saw Logan my first night in London on accident. He saw me in a little cafe and popped in to say hello and to tell me that he just got back from his honeymoon."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Honey…"

"Moon," Rory finished with a nod. "I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't that."

"But you still told him about the baby," Lorelai stated, a hint of pride in her voice. "That couldn't have been easy, babe."

"It wasn't, but it was the right thing to do and I'm giving that whole approach to life a whirl."

Lorelai smiled and patted Rory's leg. "So, what did he say?"

Rory looked at her mother and shrugged her shoulder. "I never really got a full sentence out of him."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that he never really gave me a reaction. He was shocked, that's for sure, but it never really passed that stage."

"He didn't say anything?"

"Nothing worth noting," Rory sighed."I don't know, maybe he's still shocked and confused? I didn't expect him to propose or anything but I guess I expected…"

"Something," Lorelai said with a sad smile.

"He'll come around. I just need to give him more time."

"If that's what you think is best,"

Rory arched an eyebrow. "What do _you_ think is best?"

Lorelai sighed. "I just don't want you to wait for him, you know? Spend your life waiting for him to show up. To come around and be different. It's no way to live, believe me."

"I know Logan, mom. He's not the type of guy to just…pretend his child doesn't exist. His father was hardly ever around when he was growing up. I know he'd want to be different. To do better."

"Yeah, well, sometimes that's not always the case." Lorelai said with a bitter tone.

Rory shook her head and sat up. "Don't do that,"

"Do what?"

"Compare Logan with dad. Logan is not dad and I'm not you. Our situations are completely different. We're not sixteen, mom. We're adults." Rory let out a breath. "Besides, it doesn't really matter either way. I can do this on my own."

"You're never on your own, Rory." Lorelai wrapped her arms around her daughter and let out a shaky breath. "I didn't mean to insinuate that Logan is Christopher. That's really not fair, you're right." She pulled away and smiled. "So, how exhausted are you?"

"On a scale of one to ten, I'm off the charts."

"Rest up. I'll tell Luke to bring home sustenance."

"Bless you,"

Lorelai kissed Rory's forehead and left her daughter to rest. Once the bedroom door was closed behind her, Lorelai leaned against it and chewed on her lower lip, hoping that everything would work itself out for her little girl.

* * *

A/N: I know it's short, but it's really just going to set up future chapters to come. I hope you enjoyed! Keep sending me your feedback and have a great day!


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